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Oscar Pistorius confirms he will not compete in athletics this year Oscar Pistorius confirms he will not compete in athletics this year
(about 1 hour later)
Oscar Pistorius will not compete again this year as he awaits trial for murder despite receiving a number of meeting invitations, his agent has claimed. Oscar Pistorius will not compete again this year as he awaits trial for murder despite receiving a number of invitations to meetings, his agent has said.
Peet van Zyl told the Press Association that the 26-year-old South African is not mentally ready to return to the track. Peet van Zyl said the 26-year-old South African was not mentally ready to return to the track. The six-times Paralympic gold medallist was charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February and is awaiting trial in South Africa.
The six-time Paralympic gold medallist was charged with the premeditated murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in February and is awaiting trial in South Africa. "There was never any pressure from me or his coach [Ampie Louw] to return to competition," Van Zyl said. "It's his decision and it's his decision not to compete."
"There was never any pressure from me or his coach [Ampie Louw] to return to competition, it's his decision and it's his decision not to compete," Van Zyl said. The decision means that Pistorius will not take part in the International Paralympic Committee world championships in Lyon in July.
The decision means that Pistorius will not take part in the IPC World Championships in Lyon in July. Pistorius, who competed at the Olympics and Paralympics at London 2012, had his bail conditions relaxed in March to allow him to travel abroad for competitions. But Van Zyl, asked if his client was mentally ready to race again, said: "No, of course not".
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Louw was quoted by Eye Witness News in South Africa as saying: "He is nowhere close to being in a position to train. He just does fitness exercises in the morning with his family." Van Zyl said many promoters had been in touch to invite Pistorius to their events and that there were "a good number, enough to keep him busy through the year".
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Enter your email address to subscribe. Pistorius is next due in court on 4 June, with a trial expected to take place before the end of this year. The double amputee denies premeditated murder and says he shot the 29-year-old Ms Steenkamp after mistaking her for an intruder.
Our editors' picks for the day's top news and commentary delivered to your inbox each morning. Pistorius, who won two Paralympic gold medals at London 2012, in the 400 metres and the 4x100m relay, will definitely miss the athletics world championships in Moscow in August. He might have had the opportunity to compete, with the governing body, the IAAF, saying he would have been regarded as "innocent until proven guilty" and "free to run" were he to achieve the qualifying standard, but in truth the chances of that happening given the circumstances were remote.
The UK Athletics chairman, Ed Warner, had already ruled out inviting Pistorius to the Sainsbury's Anniversary Games at the Olympic Stadium at the end of July for fear of it becoming a "media circus".